Case Studies

The Challenge

BMW Group South Africa needed to transform its digital marketing approach to drive online vehicle sales, manage always-on campaigns across 50+ models simultaneously, and prepare for the cookieless advertising future while maintaining performance and ROI.

The Approach

• •Designed a bottom-up commercial demand model translating annual sales targets into channel-level acquisition, engagement, and conversion forecasts
• •Engineered full-funnel performance frameworks linking impressions to online vehicle sales with measurable revenue attribution
• •Implemented advanced audience segmentation using first-party data and DMP capabilities
• •Pioneered programmatic campaigns leveraging first-party IDs for cookieless advertising
• •Led implementation of new marketing systems: Adobe Campaign Management and Adobe Audience Manager
• •Created an end-to-end Campaign Creation Process Board to streamline setup and reporting

Key Outcomes

• ✓BMW South Africa became the first BMW market to sell cars online with 100% customer-centric approach
• ✓70% month-on-month conversion increase for the first six months of 2020
• ✓Over 910 million impressions, 45 million engagements, and 4.5 million clicks in 2021
• ✓Top campaigns: 787M impressions (119% above target), 39M engagements (139% above target), 3.7M clicks (126% above target)
• ✓Won BMW C3 Leading Change Award for Best Digital Transformation 2020
• ✓Performance rating: "Far Exceeds Requirements" for Leading Business & Transformation

The Challenge

With Google announcing the deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome, BMW SA needed to target users who had engaged with their G20 BMW 3 Series campaign in cookieless environments like Safari and Firefox, while maintaining cost effectiveness and viewable scale.

The Approach

• •Leveraged Adform's ID Fusion solution to identify first-party IDs across multiple devices, publishers and browsers
• •Ran a market-first programmatic campaign exclusively based on first-party identifiers
• •Reached customers in Safari and Mozilla Firefox where third-party cookies had been stopped
• •Employed impactful buying algorithms and optimization tactics for cost-effective delivery

Key Outcomes

• ✓27% lower Cost-Per-Thousand Impressions (CPM)
• ✓43% increase in campaign scale
• ✓Positioned BMW SA as a cookieless-ready benchmark market in the C3 region
• ✓Established alongside Turkey as C3 region leaders for first-party data activation

The Challenge

M Fest-one of the biggest car festivals in the world at Kyalami Grand Prix circuit-was returning after a three-year COVID break. BMW wanted to create awareness and drive ticket sales by reaching video game streaming audiences through an innovative omnichannel approach.

The Approach

• •Leveraged LIVAD's innovative video game streaming solution, integrated via Adform's SSP
• •Used a native integration to programmatically buy video game live streaming inventory-a market-first initiative
• •Over 30 streamers talked enthusiastically about M Fest while video ads played on their streams
• •Combined gaming influencer endorsements with programmatic buying for maximum reach

Key Outcomes

• ✓245,900 live views
• ✓7.3 hours of screen time
• ✓60% higher streamer participation than LIVAD benchmarks
• ✓Successfully reached new, enthusiastic audiences in the gaming community

The Challenge

Carbon emissions driven by advertising are still increasing (+11% from 2019 to 2022). BMW SA wanted to reduce the advertising carbon footprint of their BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) Family campaign while maintaining business KPIs and performance.

The Approach

• •Activated Adform's Carbon Reduction feature powered by Scope3
• •Automatically restricted delivery on the 10-30% highest emitting domains, adjusted daily
• •Maintained all campaign strategies, brand KPIs, and budget allocations unchanged
• •Used weekly monitoring reports with environmental, business, and financial KPIs detailed per domain
• •Took incremental actions to boost performance and minimize carbon emissions based on insights

Key Outcomes

• ✓55% lower carbon emissions vs country average (147 avg gCO2PM)
• ✓657kg CO2 savings vs country average projection
• ✓0% impressions on highest 30% emitting domains-complete avoidance
• ✓Campaign shifted impressions to lower-emitting domains while maintaining CTR performance

The Challenge

MTN Group Digital Services needed to evolve from tactical, reactive digital execution into a structured, data-driven marketing operation across multiple African markets. OTT entertainment products (Showmax, Disney+, MTN One TV) and CRBT required cohesive customer lifecycle strategies, standardised measurement frameworks, and scalable go-to-market approaches - all within an environment of varying digital maturity levels and complex organisational dynamics.

The Approach

• •Designed a comprehensive Get-Keep-Grow CVM framework for OTT products, defining acquisition, retention, and revenue growth strategies with omnichannel campaign flows across SMS, paid digital, CVM, and partner channels
• •Created and executed the MTN One TV launch plan - a multi-phase go-to-market strategy covering internal employee advocacy (5-day campus takeover with cinema days, digital-first engagement, and product demos), external nationwide roadshow activations, and phased roll-out across South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia. Internal launch achieved 83% engagement (vs 10% target), 454 bookings, and 125 structured feedback responses
• •Led the launch of MTN Ads (ads.mtn.com) - MTN's digital advertising platform enabling brands to leverage MTN's subscriber base for targeted advertising
• •Pioneered an AI/ML audience targeting pilot for Showmax campaigns, using lookalike modelling from MTN's central analytics team to expand reach beyond traditional CVM segments
• •Developed the Disney+ activation and retention strategy with detailed customer journey use cases, barrier-to-entry analysis, and multi-step CVM workflows from awareness through to paying subscription
• •Created a Marketing Assessment Framework evaluating 13 capability areas across four pillars: Strategic Alignment, Performance Analytics, Customer Value Management, and Team Capabilities - designed for cross-market benchmarking
• •Established standardised measurement metrics and end-to-end funnel reporting from impressions through to paying subscribers, introducing Looker Studio dashboards and cross-domain tracking
• •Developed a strategic search (SEO/SEM) approach for MTN Play SA with a three-phase roadmap: Discovery and Audit, Strategy Development, and Continuous Optimisation

Key Outcomes

• ✓Successfully transitioned Group Digital Services from ad-hoc execution to structured, commercially aligned performance marketing with clear KPI frameworks
• ✓Delivered and executed the MTN One TV launch plan - internal launch achieved 83% engagement (vs 10% target), 454 bookings, and 125 structured feedback responses across cinema days and digital-first activations, with market-specific roadshow strategies across 4 countries
• ✓Established standardised marketing funnel reporting and measurement KPIs adopted across digital services products
• ✓Created scalable CVM campaign frameworks and omnichannel customer journey maps for Showmax, Disney+, CRBT, and MTN One TV
• ✓Designed an aspirational Marketing Assessment Framework providing a benchmarking tool for evaluating digital marketing maturity across operating companies
• ✓Introduced AI/ML-driven audience targeting as a channel expansion methodology for subscription-based digital products